Daily update- Tuesday, January 4, 2016

Icy cold hangs on in the north and the temperature keeps dropping! The central region keeps temperatures mostly steady, but a cool-down is on the way. The south stays hot, but has also cooled off just a tiny bit. The tropics remain quiet, but are a bit damp today.

NORTH

Winter’s icy chill hangs on I the north, where portions of Mongolia and Russia have failed to see readings above freezing for several days now. Northern China and Korea are not far behind, as Beijing and Seoul struggle to get above freezing at the peak of afternoon sunshine. All locations across the region are seeing cooler weather today as a stationary cold front draped across central China and Japan keeps the coldest air to the north. However, mainly comfortable weather continues to the south and east of the frontal system. A weak ripple of energy continues to push through eastern China and bring considerable cloudiness and rain to Shanghai.

City

High Temp C (F)

Low Temp C (F)

Conditions

Ulaanbaatar

-15 (5)

-29 (-20)

Fair

Vladivostok

-6 (21)

-13 (9)

Fair

Beijing

1 (34)

-8 (18)

Fair

Seoul

2 (36)

-4 (25)

Fair

Tokyo

13 (55)

6 (43)

Partly Cloudy

Xi’an

6 (43)

-2 (28)

Partly Cloudy

Shanghai

11 (52)

8 (46)

Rain

CENTRAL

Temperatures across the central region are holding steady today, but there are hints of a cool-down coming up later in the week as the colder air to the north finally filters into the region. Conditions have improved considerably over interior portions of China, but a weak disturbance is bringing lots of cloudiness and rainfall to the southeastern Chinese coast and Taiwan. Taiwan could see a few rumbles off thunder as the active portion of a stalled frontal zone affects the island. Everyone else will see a comfortable day with just a few clouds and lots of sunshine.

City

High Temp C (F)

Low Temp C (F)

Conditions

Kunming

14 (57)

2 (36)

Partly Cloudy

Hong Kong

22 (72)

18 (64)

Rain

Taipei

24 (75)

18 (64)

Thunderstorms

Iwo To

13 (55)

5 (41)

Partly Cloudy

Hanoi

27 (81)

18 (64)

Partly Cloudy

SOUTH

The south is still pretty hot today, but temperatures are moderating just a bit across Indochina. The seasonal northeast monsoon continues to push slightly cooler air into the Philippines, but that flow also includes dragging an occasional bit of drifting tropical energy into the nation about every 4-5 days. It would appear that another drifting , very weak, ripple is starting to move into the country from the east, which will increase rain chances ever so slightly for the northern two-thirds of the archipelago over the next 48 hours. Drier air has pushed as far south and east as northern Indonesia and Brunei, while Malaysia stays locked in the tropical humidity and heat, with the usual dose of afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast for today.

City

High Temp C (F)

Low Temp C (F)

Conditions

Siem Reap

32 (90)

22 (72)

Fair

Ho Chi Minh

33 (91)

24 (75)

Partly Cloudy

Manila

32 (90)

21 (70)

Fair

Davao City

34 (93)

22 (72)

Fair

Brunei

32 (90)

25 (77)

Partly Cloudy

Singapore

31 (88)

26 (79)

Thunderstorms

TROPICS

The tropics remain quiet in terms of weather systems that could organize, however, there are potential trouble spots embedded within the I.T.C.Z. (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone) that will need to be watched. There’s an elongated ‘hybrid’ trough extending from the southern Marianas and central Micronesia, eastward to the western Marshall Islands. I call this a “hybrid’ trough because there’s a lot of dry, continental air associated with it, and yet, it exists within the realm of tropical troughs, and shares a few of those characteristics as well. Although the feature is quite prominent, and quite extensive, no real development potential is seen in this area in the short to medium term. Remains of the old system 99C/99W are moving slowly through the Marshall Islands today, increasing the rain chances and bringing some windy conditions to the group. Continental energy will bring some showers and wind to Wake Island today, while the rest of the region will see a mix of clouds and sun and a chance for showers.